


An Unexpected Present

by Zauberwald



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fix-it Shire AU, M/M, time line got eaten by the cat, yule celebration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:30:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5406554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zauberwald/pseuds/Zauberwald
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yule is about to come to Hobbiton and so naturally Bilbo is thinking of what to give Thorin as a present. So plans and preparations are made to make sure this year's present in form of a visit of a certain company will be successful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unexpected Present

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jaro (jar_o_mirth)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jar_o_mirth/gifts).



> This is my "have a happy hobbit holiday"-gift for Jaro (jar_o_mirth). I hope you will like it! 
> 
> Big thanks to my lovely Beta Laura, you really saved me!

Autumn

 

Small hands had tangled themselves into Bilbo’s white shirt, holding onto their source of warmth and comfort. They belonged to a little, angel faced Hobbitling that by now was a part of Bilbo’s life he’d never want to miss again. It had been an alien situation at first, being responsible for so small a being all of a sudden, but with Thorin’s help he had grown into his new role in no time.  
With a gentle motion Bilbo opened the door to Frodo’s room, careful not to wake the sleeping boy in his arms and then put him with no lesser care into bed, tucking him in warm blankets before pressing a light goodnight-kiss on top of the dark, curly mop of hair. 

As he made his way back to the living room where Thorin was still reading, light feet hardly making a sound on the flagged floor, his mind wandered back to times long ago. Back then he’d wandered along stone walls and where today dark corners in Bag End held all the warmth of a loving home, the lingering darkness in Erebor had held nothing but uncertainty and fearful anticipation. Surely things would be different today, the warmth would have returned to Erebor’s Halls by now with Fili as King under the mountain, but Bilbo couldn’t shake the dark painted memories completely. Most prominent was the feeling of utter fear, when the three members of the royal family had lain in their tents, motionless like dead stone. It had seemed a wonder that they were all still alive and another wonder had shown itself in letting Fili and Kili wake up just a few days after the battle, slowly recovering from the wounds they had taken. Thorin alone still in his deathlike state, cheeks pale and fallen in, making him look like a ghost a bit more with every passing day. All this time, Bilbo had stayed by his side, whispering pleas and promises and realizing just how much of his heart Thorin had already taken as his own. Weeks had gone by, wounds had been healing, but the King of the mountain would remain unconscious. By then Bilbo had shed all of his tears and every spark of hope had begun to taste bitter for the doubts that tainted them. 

So when finally at one cold evening Thorin’s hand had begun to slightly twitch while resting in Bilbo’s, the Hobbit at first thought himself going mad at last, imagining things he so desperately wished for. But when his eyes had found the bright blue he’d missed so dearly accompanied by a weak smile, all thought left his mind and him only staring. “Bilbo…” that single word, rasped in a rough voice after such a long time of silence, was all it’d taken to break the spell and make Bilbo start to cry and laugh at the same time. Out came strange sounding hiccups as he kept pressing soft kisses on Thorin’s hand he still held between his, unwilling to ever let go of it again. 

After that everything seemed to have passed in a haze of feelings and colors. Warm kisses in the snow, whispered declarations of love and promises of never leaving each other. So when Thorin at long last decided to give the crown to Fili and return with Bilbo to the Shire, none of the company seemed surprised. If anything they were happy for them, wishing them all the best and promising to visit as soon as their wedding would take place. Which of course they did, but that had been some years ago now and since then every planned visit became victim to obligations and bad timed incidents. 

When Bilbo passed the kitchen, a slight tapping sound caught his attention. Something was battering against the window from the outside, so he hurried to it before the noise could stir Thorin’s attention. Just as he’d expected, there were a bunch of ravens sitting on the windowsill, waiting for Bilbo to let them in already and ruffling their feathers against the chilly autumn air. He felt a surge of excitement rise in his chest, while he hastily fumbled open the window lock. Wasting no time, the birds hopped into the warm kitchen once the window was open, all in a quiet motion that would have surprised everybody who knew the usual noisy behavior of the ravens of Erebor. Thanking Yavanna that he wouldn’t have to make up excuses about why there were four, no, five of the big, black birds sitting lined up on the kitchen table should they continue to behave that properly, Bilbo closed the window again and turned his attention to them. Every single one had a small, metallic tube fastened on one leg, which they patiently held out, so Bilbo could remove them. He piled them up on the table before pulling out two bowls, filling them with water and some leftover bread and putting them in front of the still silently waiting birds. While they enjoyed their meal, Bilbo sat down, finally reading the letters the tubes had contained. Each of the letters was signed by up to three family members, leaving him with a big smile on his face as he finished the last one. They had accepted the invitation, all the members of the company. Oh, how he was looking forward to seeing them again and even more so to Thorin’s reaction when they’d all be standing at the door of Bag End to celebrate Yule with them. Still smiling he wrote five short replies, fastening them on the ravens’ legs which by then had finished their bread and water. “Safe journey to you.” he whispered as they vanished in the darkness to return to their home, taking with them the sincere hope that all of the company would arrive well and in time. Since they would be Thorin’s present this Yule, that was all Bilbo wished for this year as well.

 

One week until Yule

 

Snow covered the gentle hills of Hobbiton, muffling every sound, softening it until it became snow itself. The sun had hidden itself this day behind heavy curtains of mist, sleeping through the day. Most of Hobbiton seemed to follow the sun’s lead and spent the day inside warm hobbit holes instead of admiring the silent beauty of the cold afternoon.  
Just few found their way outside, wrapped up in thick layers of cloth, their bare feet the only part uncaring about the low temperatures. So the sound of snow crunching under heavy boots appeared to be strangely out of place in this part of middle-earth. The boots belonged to a dwarf, the only dwarf living in Hobbiton. On his arms were piled up bags full of vegetables, potatoes and flour, making his steps heavy under their weight. A mere stride in front of him there was walking a Hobbit no lesser packed with bags filled with food.  
“How many of your relatives did you say we are expecting this Yule again?”, Thorin grumbled while trotting after Bilbo. Not that he didn’t like Bilbo’s relatives it was just some of them really seemed able to talk three days nonstop without even stopping to take a breath and at the same time forgetting what he had told them already. So he’d just hoped for some piece this Yule, but Bilbo appeared to be so excited about his visiting relatives this time, he hardly could be sulky about it.  
“Oh, just a dozen or so. Not that many.” Bilbo replied with evident excitement in his voice. Even his steps were more like a happy bouncing; completely ignoring the heavy weight he was carrying right now. Thorin frowned at that. As much as he loved to see Bilbo happy about something, he never had been that enthusiastic about his relatives visiting before. Almost as if sensing Thorin’s skepticism, Bilbo let out a small huff. “Come on now, it will be fun, you’ll see.”  
“Now you sound just like when you’re talking to Frodo, trying to convince him into doing something he doesn’t like at all…”  
Thorin tried his best to keep the amusement out of his voice, but the smile on his face was clearly ringing within every syllable.  
By then they had reached the wooden gate to Bag End and Bilbo shot him a little glance as he walked through it. “As if taking a bath is such a horrible thing.”  
Just as Thorin opened his mouth to give some retort, two woolen balls came running from the garden. A small cry of “Uncle Thorin!”, was all the warning he got, before something collided with his legs and send him right into the soft snow, the bags landing just beside him. A low groan escaped his lips, while he could hear Bilbo quite shamelessly laughing in the background. He looked down at the little Hobbit hugging his legs, staring right back with eyes almost of the same blue as his. “Uncle Thorin!”, Frodo called out again, oblivious to the slightly puzzled look the dwarf gave him. “Me and Sam found the biggest icicles! You have to come and take a look!” All eager Frodo scrambled to his feet and began tugging at Thorin’s hand.  
“Alright, alright.” Thorin muttered, rising from the cold ground, “Just let me help your Uncle Bilbo to get everything inside first.”  
Frodo presented him with his brightest smile and turned to Bilbo. “You have to come as well, Uncle Bilbo!” By his side Sam had started nodding at his earnest, making his brown curls jump up and down.  
Still chuckling Bilbo pushed open the door to Bag End. “Very well then, let us just put everything in the entrance hall for the time being.”  
Closing the door behind them after everything had been tucked away; Bilbo and Thorin hand in hand followed the delightedly screeching children through the snow. 

 

Yule

 

A sharp snap broke the silence of the first Yule morning. “Ouch!” Thorin rubbed the hand Bilbo had just given a slap soothingly. Bilbo did not even look up from his work at the kitchen counter.  
“Stop stealing from the pastries at once or I swear I’ll banish you from the kitchen. Forever!” Thorin shot him a slightly sulking look. “How could you even know? You were looking in the other direction.”  
At that Bilbo let out an amused snort, while removing the last pastries from the pan and placing them on a plate to cool down. “Because, oh Thorin Oakenshield, I know YOU by now and despite what you might think, you are not that subtle about your attempts. Anyone would notice such an obvious sneaking up, broad shouldered shadow.”  
“Is that so? Then have you seen this coming as well?” Strong arms wrapped themselves around Bilbo’s waist from behind, lifting him up against Thorin’s chest. Bilbo let out a small squeak, trying to wriggle himself free from the tight grasp, though as soon as he felt warm lips pressing light kisses to his neck the halfhearted complains turned into full grown laughs. With one last peck, Thorin put his husband back on his feet. Still slightly chuckling Bilbo turned around. “You’re an impossible dwarf, you know that?” A small smile pulling on his lips, Thorin leaned in a bit.  
“So I’ve been told. Quite often by now, actually.” he murmured in a low voice, before closing the gap between them and kissing Bilbo tenderly. 

The sound of feet tapping into the kitchen made them part eventually.  
“I think they're coming.” Frodo exclaimed as he hurried past his uncles and climbed up the chair at the window to press his nose against the window. Outside the light was already fading, leaving only dark figures to be seen as they made their way up the small path to Bag End. He made a joyful noise and climbed down again, making his way to the door.  
Both Bilbo and Thorin stared after the all flustered Frodo, a bit startled by the sudden coming and going of the small Hobbit. Feeling himself getting a bit nervous as well, Bilbo patted Thorins arm, though more to calm himself than anything else. “Well then, let’s go and join Frodo. Shall we?”  
As they joined the boy at the entrance hall, it was quite obvious that it took him quite a lot not to just open the door before the visitors even had a chance to ring the bell. All in all to Thorin this behavior made not that much sense at all. One could think he hadn’t seen his relatives for ages, which wasn’t the case of course for the got plenty of chances to meet them at the market or at celebrations. Bilbo’s behavior wasn’t in any kind less strange, the way he was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. He eyed both of them suspiciously not quite knowing what to think of it.  
Impatiently Frodo looked up at his uncles. “Why does it take so long? I wanna see Uncle Thorin’s dwarf-friends already.” Thorin jerked his head to face Bilbo right away. “What does he mean by that?” he asked slightly confused, while Bilbo pressed his eyes closed and let out a sigh. A small “Ehm…” was all he got for an answer before the doorbell rang. 

Swift as a warm summer-wind Frodo was at the door, pulling it open and revealing twelve dwarves wrapped up in heavy furs, cheeks rosy from the cold winter air.  
Right in the front there were standing a blond and a dark-haired one, their young faces lit up with bright smiles. “Fili…” the blond one happily announced, followed by “… and Kili!” from his brother, before both of them bowed down while intoning: “At your service!”  
With one sweeping motion they straightened themselves up again, their still prominent grin matching those of the rest of the company. Bilbo couldn’t help but mirroring it, Frodo and Thorin though had the same expression of astonishment on their face, both openly gaping at the scene before them. An incredulous “What…?” was all Thorin managed to choke out as he took one step forward.  
“Well uncle, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Fili said as he strode forward, Kili by his side.  
“Must have been quite a sight that ghost, for I’ve never seen our uncle so speechless -What do you think, Fee?”

Both were now standing right in front of their Uncle, who finally managed to snap out of his stupor. He pulled them into a tight embrace, one after another, knocking their foreheads gently together. “It’s good to see you.” he uttered in a tight voice, then turning to the rest of the company. “All of you.” A soft smile on his lips, he brought his attention to Bilbo.  
“I reckon you are behind all of this.”  
The grin on the Hobbit’s face was answer enough, still he replied all too happily.  
“Merry Yule, my dear husband.”  
“Bilbo…”, Thorin managed to choke out, his voice trembling slightly as emotions were running wild inside his heart, determined to break through his chest to make themselves known to all the world.  
“Is Uncle Thorin going to cry? Did his dwarf friends make him sad? You said he’d like his present, Uncle Bilbo.”, Frodo whispered full of concern while tugging at Bilbo’s waistcoat to get his attention. And it wasn’t only Bilbo’s attention he got; all eyes were on him in an instant. 

Kili let out a delighted squeal. “Mahal, the baby Hobbit really looks like a small, cute version of you, Uncle!” He ignored the glare said Uncle shot him and crouched down to take a closer look at the little Hobbit. Frodo in return scowled at him with an expression oddly similar to Thorin’s.  
“I’m not a baby!” he exclaimed indignantly, pouting at being called so.  
“No, of course not!” Kili hurried to say, “You must be young Master Frodo. My name is Kili and that less good looking dwarf with the golden hair is my brother Fili.” Fili let out a huff at that, but crouching down as well, stretching his hand out at Frodo with the words: “Fili, at your service, young Master Frodo.”  
Only hesitating for a moment, Frodo’s small hand grabbed his and gave it a slow shake. Fili leaned a bit closer, eyes very serious. “Shall I tell you a secret?”  
Frodo nodded, looking eager within the second.  
“Actually I’m considered the good looking one of the two of us, people only worry about Kili’s delicate feelings, so they never tell him that.”  
“Hey!” came the prompt answer from his brother, who gave him a slight shove, having Frodo chuckling at the scene in front of him.  
“Aye, we’re all cute, little peaches. Can we come in now? It’s getting quite cold out here.” Dwalin’s booming voice ended the sibling’s little quarrel.  
“Sweet Yavanna, of course! Come in, you can leave your cloaks right there, just follow me.”, Bilbo hurriedly began to chatter, opening the door a bit wider, so all of the company could step in. Hugs and greetings were exchanged, warm laughter filling the halls and lightening them up more than any candle ever could.  
The merry crowd made their way through the east hall, the walls decorated with branches of pine, fir, yew and occasionally some rowan berries to add some red color. Frodo happily answered any question Fili, Kili and Ori asked him, while being carried on the blond dwarves shoulders, in the meantime Dwalin had joined Thorin, commenting on him almost looking like a Hobbit in his new fancy waistcoat. 

As they made their way to the dining room, Bilbo settled to walk beside Balin.  
“I’m really glad you made it safe and in time.” Bilbo uttered, a small smile appearing on his face.  
“So am I, laddie. I admit there were times, I highly doubted we would be here in time, but in the end, it all turned out well.”  
Balin gave him a smile in return and affectionately patted the Hobbits shoulder.  
Falling into a light conversation, they reached the dining room with the already richly set table. Delighted shouts could be heard from all the dwarves at the sight of all the food piled up in front of them. There were plates with slices of roasted duck on it covered with an orange-wine-sauce, potatoes wrapped in bacon, fried sausages, and bowls full of cooked red cabbage with pieces of caramelized apples in it, baked apples with cinnamon, freshly made bread, roasted pieces of pumpkin, cups full of spiced wine and dozens of different biscuits, just waiting to be devoured. 

While everybody found himself a seat, Bilbo hurried off into the kitchen to get the pastries, he just had finished before the company had arrived. When he came back into the room, he was greeted with loud cheers at the sight of even more food. “You really outdid yourself with this great meal, Bilbo!”, came the roaring appreciation from Bombur as Bilbo seated himself beside his husband, followed by shouts of approval, which turned into lively chatter and laughter as guest and host alike started to eat.  
Not once during the whole dinner was there anything like an embarrassing silence or an angry rising of voices, just the utter joy of being reunited and having the opportunity to exchange news or to stroll down memory lane.  
Frodo sat there with Fili, Kili and Bofur, listening to their funny stories and in return telling them all about his adventures with his friends. Beside them there was Bifur, Bombur and Oin at one head of the table with Bifur signing his way through their conversation and always smiling slightly into his beard, while Bombur mused about the ingredients of the different dishes and Oin kept asking about this and that word, but still laughed the loudest about any joke that was made. Opposite to Frodo and his new found friends Bilbo was talking to Gloin, though most of the time he was listening to the dwarf’s complaints about his son Gimli befriending a certain prince of Mirkwood. Bilbo’s hand in the meantime wandered to find Thorin’s, interlacing their fingers under the table, whereas Thorin was quite absorbed in his discussion with Dwalin, which steadily switched from teasing to serious matters and back. By Dwalin’s side Balin and Dori had leaned close to each other as if sharing some secrets no one else was supposed to hear, snickering every now and then like they were back in their teens again. Nori and Ori watched their brother with some kind of astonishment from time to time, before turning to Fili and Kili again, laughing with them as they did their best to entertain young Frodo. 

When there was almost no crumb of food left, Bofur pulled out his flute, striking up a merry song, which soon the others joined in with either their own instruments or their singing voices. Right then time seemed to stand still and every moment was experienced with such clear awareness that it would be impossible to forget them ever again. As the night went by some made their way to the smoking room, enjoyed the crackling open fire in the living room or just sat in a corner and enjoyed each other’s company. Loud laughter turned into soft chuckles and boisterous voices became gentle. At some point Frodo had fallen asleep in Bofur’s lap, cuddling the dwarf’s hat as if it were a fluffy toy. Eventually Thorin picked up the small Hobbit and carried him to bed. The rest of the company soon followed, eyes growing heavy from all the delicious food and the sweet wine. They made their way to the guest room one after another, Bilbo and Thorin had prepared for them, whispering their goodnights as they did so, until only the two hosts were left. 

With a content sigh Bilbo shifted closer into Thorin’s embrace, his back comfortably resting against his husband’s chest. They both were sitting in front of the low glowing fire, eyes fixed on the shrinking flames.  
“I’m afraid, my present won’t be comparable to the gift you made me this Yule.”, Thorin whispered, slightly nuzzling against Bilbo’s cheek. At that Bilbo turned himself around in Thorin’s arms to face him.  
“Don’t be silly. This isn’t some kind of competition and it was as much a gift to myself as it was to you.” Bilbo studied the blue eyes he knew so well by now and still couldn’t get tired of losing himself in. “I’ll be more than pleased with whatever you give me tomorrow”, he murmured and leaned forward to give Thorin a long and slow kiss, relishing the feeling of their joined lips as he had the first time. As he withdrew, he felt Thorin’s fingers tracing the soft curve of his cheek, the expressive eyes holding the same amount of affection as his own. In a quiet motion Bilbo brought their foreheads together, both closing their eyes at the soothing, familiar touch.  
“I love you, silly dwarf of mine.” he breathed warmly.  
“And I love you, my overwhelming hobbit.”  
And as the last lights of Bag End went out this silent night, snow was falling softly through the starlit darkness, finding its way back home.

 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I've planned that one to be much longer, but unfortunately I did not have as much time to write in the last months as I thought I'd have. Plus I took some unintended alterations to the assignment, for I simply overread the "though not unexpected"-part in the descripion and made it unexpected in Thorin's case. I'm sorry for that. Still, I hope you find it entertaining and at least a bit christmassy ^^
> 
> It's been a while since I've written a fic, so I'm happy about constructive criticism anytime.


End file.
